Sebastien Ogier has taken the lead in the 2025 WRC Monte Carlo Rally after an impressive Friday performance, overtaking both Thierry Neuville and Elfyn Evans amid challenging Alpine conditions.

The eight-time World Rally Champion, pursuing his tenth Monte Carlo victory, recovered from Thursday's 20-second deficit to lead by 12.6 seconds. Ogier's comeback was particularly notable on the ice-affected asphalt stages near his hometown of Forest-Saint-Julien.

Evans briefly held the lead after passing overnight leader Neuville but lost his advantage after a half-spin on an icy section in Saint-Leger-les-Melezes-La Bâtie-Neuve 2. Neuville's challenge faltered with rear-left suspension damage and a subsequent tire deflation, dropping him to ninth overall.

Adrien Fourmaux impressed in his Hyundai debut, securing third place just 1.6 seconds behind Evans. Kalle Rovanpera, returning to full-time competition, holds fourth position, while Ott Tanak sits fifth despite damaging his car's rear bodywork in a collision with a telegraph pole.

In WRC2, Yohan Rossel has established a commanding lead of over two minutes in his Citroen C3 Rally2, winning every stage in the category so far.

The rally continues Saturday with six asphalt stages covering 81.65 competitive miles, with ice and rain potentially adding to the challenge.

Current Standings after Friday (SS9):

1. Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota) 1h27m00.6s
2. Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota) +12.6s
3. Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai) +14.2s
4. Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota) +38.5s
5. Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Hyundai) +47.3s
6. Gregoire Munster/Louis Louka (Ford) +1m33.7s
7. Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota) +1m37.7s
8. Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota) +3m32.9s
9. Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai) +3m58.6s
10. Yohan Rossel/Arnaud Dunand (Citroen - WRC2) +5m04.0s

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